sorry babydoll, just finished ironing my clothes.
I did considered other phones like the Dopod 838 Pro and C730. Never own a Windows Mobile phone before. My utmost requirement is that the screen must be 2.8 inch and long battery life.
So besides E61i, my next possible choice is the Dopod 838 Pro (2.8 inch). But I scared that I may open and close the slider so often that one day it split into two. One more thing, sometimes, I eat using my right hand and access my phone using my left hand, the Dopod isn't so left-hand friendly.
C730 is quite similar to Nokia E61i, but I understand from online reviews that the battery life is not so funtastic. Moreover, the screen is less than 2.8 inch.
So the next possible choice is E61i loh. Maybe there will be new models being launched for Christmas, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. I usually buy gadgets when it is coming to the end of it's product life cycle...can be a few hundred dollars difference sometimes. Must be financially prudent.
On the HSDPA modem right, I sometimes will use my N73 as a modem on my notebook via the PC suite to access the Internet. I listen to Internet radio so sometimes the connection may drop. That's why thinking of getting the modem.